In a Year Full of Embarrassments, Which Moment Truly Stood Out For John Boehner?

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Last updated on December 29th, 2013 at 12:11 pm

As 2013 comes to a close, we at PoliticusUSA thought we’d take a look at some of the year’s biggest winners and losers. For this particular column, we asked several writers to give us their pick for the most embarrassing moment for John Boehner in 2013. Here are the responses that we received. Enjoy!

Sarah Jones: Managing Editor/Columnist

Just one? Really? So cruel, so unreasonable, so undoable. I’d like to see a gif made of Boehner waving around the Republicans’ alleged “jobs bill” since he used it for cover at every presser this year. But his most embarrassing moment had to come when he allowed a narcissistic sociopath freshman senator from Texas to ruin the GOP by shutting down the government while Boehner sat there like a useless tool.

Justin Baragona: Senior Editor

Well, there are certainly a lot to choose from, aren’t there? But I think the coup de grace for Boehner was him basically rolling over and allowing Sen. Ted Cruz to take over as Speaker of the House. When the government shutdown became a reality, it was apparent to everybody that Boehner had no real power within his caucus and that a freshman Senator was pulling all the strings in the lower chamber. Embarrassing, and sad.

Hrafnkell Haraldsson: Editor/Columnist

I think without doubt Speaker of the House John Boehner’s most embarrassing moment this past year was when House Republicans forced him to kill his own debt ceiling bill. This was just the culmination of Boehner’s inability to control the radical elements of the House. I think the most telling moment in all this was that it was the Heritage Foundation that told House Republicans to vote no – at the same time exposing Boehner as a mere cipher – trumped by one of the think tanks the GOP has so often depended on to push their anti-American legislation. So thoroughly have these extremist elements obstructed progress by the Obama administration, they have thwarted not only Democratic progress but whatever minuscule progress (if we can call it that) Boehner might have made.

Rmuse: Opinion Columnist

Boehner is incapable of being embarrassed. It was never as evident than at the recent news conference where he pretended to lash out at extremists he has dutifully obeyed and supported for three years and will continue as long as he is Speaker. He should have been embarrassed that House Republicans are controlled by Ted Cruz, but as a Koch and ALEC devotee employee, he followed their directions explicitly and subjected himself to Cruz.
Keith Brekhus: Contributing Writer

John Boehner’s most embarrassing moment was during the GOP-initiated shutdown when it appeared like Ted Cruz and not John Boehner was acting as the de facto leader of the US House, even though Cruz isn’t even a member of the House.

Dennis S. : Contributing Writer

As House Speaker, I would think his most embarrassing moment would manifest itself every day he has to show up and work alongside such astonishingly soulless, hateful and callous human detritus as Majority Leader Eric Cantor, prime author of the recent $40 billion food stamp legislative cuts passed by the House, and Paul Ryan, whose single specialty is trying to destroy the federal government though budgets that would cut every worthwhile Washington program to the bone. Instead of his familiar deep tan, I would think the Boehner visage would reflect a deep red hue of mortification over having to share even a single square foot with truly disgusting elected officials like Issa, Gohmert, Joe “You lie” (said it twice no less) Wilson and their ilk.

Becky Sarwate: Contributing Writer

In a year filled with awkward pauses for the beleaguered Speaker who puts the sinking “ship” in leadership, it is hard to top the bogus and pointless government shutdown of October. The wrong-headed and selfish effort by House Republicans to defund Obamacare was not only a crashing failure that worsened the country’s fiscal problems and offered convenient cover for the actual messiness of the enrollment site’s debut, but it presented stark evidence that the minority lunatics are running the asylum. And that Boehner is apparently powerless to stop them. While the debacle bore the silver lining of enabling the Speaker’s tirade against third-interest groups that we saw last week, it never should have taken an event so drastic to help Boehner find his spine.

And there you have it, folks. These are PoliticusUSA’s picks for John Boehner’s most embarrassing moment of the year. Feel free to comment at the bottom and provide us with your thoughts. We will be posting more of these columns over the rest of the holiday season as we say goodbye to 2013.